Some school districts nix 'field tests'

At least six local school districts are refusing to give state "field tests" to students, saying that too much time is already lost to standardized testing.

The state Education Department is asking almost 4,000 schools across New York, including 293 locally, to administer trial tests in grades 3 to 8 this week and next that would be used only for the development of future tests.

"We are not the research and development arm of Pearson," said Rye Neck Superintendent Peter Mustich, referring to the testing giant that has a $32 million, five-year contract with New York to develop the Common Core-based, 3-to-8 tests.

In addition to Rye Neck, the Ossining, Nyack, Pelham and South Orangetown districts have told the state they will not administer the tests. The Clarkstown Board of Education joined the movement Monday night, voting unanimously to not give the field tests.

"Our kids are tested to death and we wanted to keep our instructional time," said Bill Kress, Ossining school board president.

Most schools are being asked to give one field test in math or ELA to one grade during one class period.

State Education Department spokesman Jonathan Burman said that all schools that administer regular testing are required to give the associated field tests.

"Field testing is a crucial part of the test development process," he said. "If a school or a school district doesn't participate in a field test, that school or district shifts its responsibility onto other New York state schools and districts."

Many educators and parents are increasingly critical of what they call an over-emphasis on testing. But the state insists that the time spent on testing has been stable in recent years.

James Montesano, superintendent of Nyack schools, which were asked to give field tests in four grades, said the district is concerned about lost instructional time, especially when it is trying to complete a new math program for the Common Core.

"Additional time lost for field testing would only further compound the impact on essential learning for our students and, more importantly, the field tests offer no direct instructional benefit to our students," he said.

Districts that are skipping the field tests emphasized that the tests would not be used to analyze student performance or needs.

"This work is about expending student learning time to subsidize a test vendor," South Orangetown Superintendent Ken Mitchell said.

Asked whether districts not giving the tests might be sanctioned in some way by the state, Burman said only that they are hurting the overall testing process.

The regular math and ELA tests given to elementary- and middle-school students in April also contained field-test questions.

In March, 228 schools across New York were also asked to give field tests for a 16-state consortium working to create national tests.